Find ways to market resin: Minister assures forest officials

Forest minister Harak Singh Rawat with the officials in Ramnagar on Tuesday.(HT Photo)

Concerned over the poor sale of resin in Uttarakhand, forest minister Harak Singh Rawat has said the government will find new avenues for its marketing.

Rawat, on an official trip to Rudrapur, was addressing media persons in Ramnagar on Tuesday.

He said that resin worth several crores is lying useless with the forest department for last three years.

RS Bisht, chief conservator of forest (CCF), Kumaon, told Hindustan Times, “There’s nearly 250 lakh kg resin stocked in our godowns worth rupees crores. Not that there are no takers, but yes only a few. Probably, competition with the neighbouring Himalayan states is tough.”

Rawat also asked officers to check illegal mining. He inaugurated a monitoring cell at the divisional forest office (DFO) headquarters that will review CCTV footage of eight camera traps installed at exit points along various rivers in Ramnagar to keep an eye on mining activities.

The minister also cautioned officers to ensure no waste from hotels and other commercial buildings should be disposed in the state rivers. He said the government will take up the constitution of a Special Tiger Protection Force (STPF), which is pending for a long time.

Meanwhile, Rawat also visited the residence of Pehalwan Singh, a beat watcher, who died in an encounter with mining mafia on March 24. The minister announced ₹5 lakh to the victim’s wife.